Written by Katie Zhang

The cheer and dance team is hoping to build off of its success from last year, in which the teams placed second and first place respectively at regionals. Their progress over the years has kept them strong and enthusiastic. Matching the enthusiasm of the teams is new head coach Trent Rodgers. After a break from coaching, Rodgers, who has five years of coaching experience, is excited to get back into the studio. “I kind of just got a little itch to start teaching again,” Rodgers said. “I just found [the position] on Facebook, and they were looking for a coach, and so everything just fell into place afterward.”

Rodgers enjoys the opportunity to be both a role model and advisor of the cheer and dance team. Rodgers not only wishes to be a coach to cheerleader and dancers, but also hopes to be a mentor to them. “I enjoy the fact that I get to meet new people and I get to mentor young ladies and gentlemen and pretty much guide them to the path of success,” Rodgers said.

For this season, Rodgers’ greatest desire is to find a balance between having a unified team and being successful at what each individual can do. Rodgers hopes to build up a tight and close team and foster a sense of sportsmanship. “I just hope they become a unit and a family,” Rodgers said. “I just hope we become a sisterhood, brotherhood.” Rodgers places high emphasis on team unity, and hopes to create a tight-knit community where every member of the team feels included and passionate about being on the team.

Senior Jenny Kram feels that the coaches care about all the team members and will always listen to suggestions. “[Our coaches] are amazing,” she said. “They’re all about communication, so I really like that and they’re able to help us to grow as athletes and as people.”

The successes of the cheer and dance team during the past few years are boosting up the cheerleaders’ and dancers’ enthusiasm and passion toward doing what each individual does best. Senior dance team captain Miranda Lin believes that dance has an enthusiastic team put together this year. “I’m definitely excited for night rally,” Lin said. “We have a really awesome team this year, and I’m really excited to perform with everyone there and show the school how spirited we are.”

Kram is also ready for the season to start. “I’m really excited on building a solid team,” Kram said. “We can have good platforms for the following years because this year, we not only have varsity, we also have added on a JV and so I’m really excited to see how everyone develops in it.”